


The Way Time Twists

by goodfellowe



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, its more of a smolder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goodfellowe/pseuds/goodfellowe
Summary: Kid tastes the shift in the atmosphere and of the universe itself before she even knows what it is.It’s in every bite of food that she takes and every sip of drink, every delicious swig of her friend’s signature fruity sangria washed away by a bitter metallic taste that gets trapped between her sharp teeth and rests under her tongue.It’s in the air too, the familiar scent of winter suddenly replaced by something sharp and bitter that hangs heavily in the air. It’s in the way that crisp, perfectly formed snowflakes flutter smoothly down from the sky and how with every step she takes, the temperature outside seems to drop just a little more and how quickly frost forms when she passes windows that leads Kid to suspect that something in the universe haschanged.In which Hat Kid, now grown, returns to a the planet she loved most and teams up with an old friend-turned-enemy to take down an enemy who serves as a bigger threat than anything she's ever known.All chapters are edited byc_amber.Monthly updates.
Relationships: Hat Kid/Mustache Girl (A Hat in Time)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 60





	1. Keeping Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> damn she really rewrote the entire fic before finishing the original

Hat Adult- lovingly dubbed  _ Kid  _ by her peers- tastes the shift in the atmosphere, and of the universe itself, before she even knows what it is.

It’s in every bite of food that she takes and every sip of drink, every delicious swig of her friend’s signature fruity sangria washed away by a bitter metallic taste that gets trapped between her sharp teeth and rests under her tongue.

It’s in the air too, the familiar scent of winter suddenly replaced by something sharp and bitter that hangs heavily in the air. It’s in the way that crisp, perfectly formed snowflakes flutter smoothly down from the sky and how with every step she takes, the temperature outside seems to drop just a little more and how quickly frost forms when she passes windows that leads Kid to suspect that something in the universe has changed.

But she’s the only one who seems to have registered these changes, bringing up the question of whether or not it was even happening at all. The few friends she’s managed to keep by her side brush off her concerns with furrowed brows and a simple shrug of their shoulders, and as the self-appointed ‘Keeper of Time’ now living in secrecy amongst humans, the last thing she needs is to gain a bad reputation or bring curious eyes to her suspiciously modern home that was just as suspiciously located in the middle of nowhere.

She’s long since strayed from her duties- all she needs to do is change the locks to her timepiece vault every few months and keep her roommate from peeping anyways- and has much more mundane to focus on, like admiring her handiwork on the faux Christmas tree she had set up near the entrance of her bookstore,  _ Time’s End. _

However, the ribbons of glamorous gold and purple draped fancifully over the branches of the small pine tree decorated with balls of coloured popcorn and glittery ornaments failed to make Kid’s heart swell with pride the way it did every year. This was the first Christmas she would’ve been spending alone, and the ill-placed bitterness she was feeling in her heart overpowered any concerns she would have normally been feeling about the whole shifts-in-the-universe scenario.

Maybe in another life, Kid wouldn’t have been so bothered. At heart, she was and had always been a loner, with a quarter of her youth dedicated to dangerous adventures on her lonesome with nothing but a sentient vacuum waiting for her back on her ship. She enjoyed spending most of her days in quiet solitude, being the sole owner and worker of her bookstore and spending days on end cooped up in the upstairs office room of the building, sat next to a cozy fireplace with a typewriter as she recounted her childhood adventures with ease. Her own home was located on the outskirts of town. Exploring abandoned buildings and wandering off of designated hiking trails to get lost deep within the woods were some of her favourite pastimes. In fact, for the first few years she had spent on the planet she now called home, she had lived in almost complete isolation and hadn’t minded it once. Things were simple that way and Kid had never really felt lonely.

Then came Marcias- or, as she was known because of her love for Lolita fashion and eccentric taste in oversized accessories-  _ Bow. _

And  _ stars,  _ Bow was perfect in every way and it had been mere weeks before her heart fluttered like never before.

Curious on how the people of this planet were like (and  _ not  _ because she was lonely), Kid had put up an advertisement seeking a roommate and Bow had reached out to her within hours after newspapers had been delivered. She was a gentle, well meaning girl who felt everything passionately. Only a year younger than Kid, she had been desperate to put some well-needed distance between she and her family after a disagreement had gone south. She was an aspiring fashion designer who dreamed of leaving behind the small town her roots tied back to, yet had been trapped in a dead-end retail career for most of her adult life. Despite her allergies, she had adopted a black cat named Minuit (who strongly despised Kid due to her alien nature, not that anyone knew about it) and Bow had quickly become Kid’s, well…  _ everything.  _ She, Minuit, and later on Bow’s best friend Timmy- a giddy and energetic man who’s familiar features made Kid’s heart ache- became the closest thing Kid had to a family.

Despite their differences- Bow was an extrovert who never seemed to have a strong enough grip on her fears and Kid was an introvert who silently kept everything together- the two young women were practically peas in a pod. They dated on and off in the span of a few years- Kid denying the obvious fact that they were never going to truly work out- and even after awkward separations, the two remained close friends who knew everything about each other. The fact that they never worked out for long periods of time never bothered Kid much because they always came back together in the end. Kid loved her; thought she’d love her forever.

But Bow didn’t. Not in the same way.

Five months after their final breakup, Bow started to go out more often and eventually brought home another woman. She was beautiful and everything Kid could  _ never  _ be and she and Bow truly fit together, like a key in a lock. It hurt- of course it did, although she would never admit the late nights she spent staring out her window and wishing on the rare shooting star- but Kid was happy for her best friend nonetheless. The way Bow’s lavender eyes lit up when she talked about her lover brought a bittersweet sort of joy that made Kid’s heart swell and ache and as she slowly became a background character in her own love life, she dwelled into her fantasy novels.

Kid was an author who wrote all of her novels under an anonymous name and her novels-  _ A Hat in Time, Battle of the Birds  _ and her current one still under development,  _ Subcon Forest-  _ told the story of her brighter past. Kid recalled all of her friends and foes fondly, some more than others, but the legitimacy of her vivid tales were known only to her. Interviews and prying questions about her inspiration were always answered elusively, allowing the interviewer to come to their own conclusion.

Now that Bow had decided to spend this Christmas with her new girlfriend instead of Kid- not that she blamed her- Kid had found herself dreaming of returning to her past. She knew that it was the responsible thing to stay here, that letting timepieces go wild once again in such a magicless and fragile timeline could easily tear the whole thing apart, but deep down, the selfish part of her screamed and begged for a chance to return to her past. In her heart Kid knew she had never once been meant for a simple and domestic life. She had been taught to pursue knowledge and adventure and being denied of it for so long made every day feel so…  _ dull.  _ She longed for just one opportunity to do something truly life-risking and dangerous again, just one chance to go back to the stars where she belonged and go on another adventure. Just one was all she needed.

Instead, Kid wrapped her scarf around herself and put her hat back on before she took one last look at her bookstore.  _ Time’s End  _ was warming and cheery and everything Kid had ever wanted in a bookstore and it had always felt like a second home to her, but tonight, it wasn’t what she needed. She finished closing up shop and began to walk home, hoping that she could catch a glimpse of Bow or say goodbye before she went home.

All was silent outside except for the snow crunching underfoot. Ice crystals drifted lazily from the sky and the air was cold but not uncomfortable. Kid loved the planet’s permanent winter weather, but even more so when it was late at night- the hazy golden glow from street lamps and the emptiness of cobblestone streets always made Kid feel as if she were floating through some sort of dream. Her nose stung in the cold and Kid half expected creatures of the night to emerge from the shadows, slender black fingers grabbing at her ankles or brushing her fingers, cold air causing the hair on the back of her neck to rise as they whispered secrets of the past and their visions of the past. Maybe she’d discover this planet’s version of the Dwellers, their home frozen and lost to time, lost and hollow spirits that had no purpose but to serve and serve until the end of time much like the ones the Snatcher had enslaved.

At home, Kid dug through her pockets and pulled out her keys, thankful when she saw that the lights were still on at home- she could see Bow bundled up in a fluffy coat and bustling about through the massive window- and came inside with a stretch and a yawn, carefully closing the glass door behind her. 

“It’s late.” She said, taking Bow by surprise and smiling a little when she jumped. “Where’s… you know, what’s-her-name?”

“She’ll be here any minute now.” Bow gave her a cheery smile as she hoisted up her luggage. “Lots of traffic down East. She left work late and got caught up in it.”

“Huh.” Kid commented, raising her eyebrows a little.

“Will you be okay with Minuit? I can take him with me if you’d like, I know you two don’t get on well.”

“You deserve a week without any allergies. We’ll get on just fine,” Kid brushed her concerns off with a wave of her hand and hung her hat up. “He has to get used to me eventually. It’s been years.”

“That it has. I’m so excited!” Bow walked over to the window, struggling with both of her luggage, and her eyes lit up at the car outside. “There she is! I can’t believe I’m meeting her parents.”

“Here-” Kid picked up her luggage bags with ease. “Moving pretty quickly, don’t you think?”

“Thank you, and it’s only been five months.” Bow put on her fuzzy hat, adjusting her two buns that hung low and opened the door. “Besides, I never met  _ your  _ parents.” She began, leading her down the street. 

“I never met yours either.”

“That’s because they don’t really  _ like  _ me, you know that.” Bow looked back. “But I don’t know why I haven’t met yours. You’re always so...  _ mysterious  _ about it.”

“You’ve never asked.”

“I have, and every time you say something vague,” Bow said as they walked to the car. The driver rolled down the window- a pretty brunette with thin eyes and wavy, burgundy-brown hair. “This is my roommate. We call her  _ Kid  _ around here,”

“Nice to meet you.” The woman said and held out a hand for Kid to shake, but Kid only shook her head and held up Bow’s bags.

“You too.” Kid walked over to the trunk of the car, tuning out Bow and her partner’s conversation. She tried not to be too bothered by these sort of things- it wasn’t Bow’s fault she couldn’t move on as quickly and she couldn’t fault her for not calling her anything else- but it still ate at her as she packed Bow’s bags in the back of the car. She watched Bow as she chattered cheerily and closed the back of the trunk, walking over.

“Have fun,” She smiled.

“You too. Timmy’ll still be in town and we’ll celebrate New Years like we do every year.”

“I know.” Kid smiled as Bow opened the door. “I can’t wait,”

“Me too! It’ll be fun.” Bow said cheerily. She hesitated before getting into the car- and Kid considered offering a hug during that hesitation- but then the door was closed, the windows rolled up, and Bow was waving as the car drove away.

Kid stood in the snow for a minute, yawning as she shuffled back indoors and taking in her home. It was nothing but her childhood spaceship, every inch of it still warm and familiar to her, but decorated and modernized so it seemed less of a mess of control panels and travel trinkets and more of an actual home someone could… well,  _ live  _ in. The screen that once displayed how many timepieces were in the vault had been turned into a functioning television and bookshelves were everywhere inside the main room, alongside a dining table and other furniture.

Deep down, Kid missed how it used to look. More than anything else, she craved some sort of escape from the mundane life she led. Every day felt the same and she wanted  _ more-  _ everything that was a part of who she was now as a person was gone or in the process of leaving her. Her best friend was finding love and moving on and her time-traveling adventures had been reduced to nothing but fantasy novels to enthuse children and geeks alike. Travel relics, hats and other childhood memorabilias had been locked away in the attic, their powers kept a secret to maintain the peaceful life she led. The friends and enemies she had made during her adventures had all begun to feel like a fading fever dream to her, and although she knew that her days of exploring and fighting were long gone, she couldn’t help but dream of returning to the past, even if only for a day. It wasn’t like it was  _ impossible-  _ in fact, the power was in her hands. Just one day of running around the Nyakuza Metro or swinging through the Alpine Skyline’s was all she needed, or maybe just a taste of what would’ve happened if she had never settled down on this planet and had continued exploring instead.

But Kid knew she had made her decision to keep this timeline safe many, many years ago. She had long since made her bed, and now it was time to lie in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. It's me... I'm back, over a year after I posted the first chapter of A Crack in Time, which I had scrubbed the internet of a month or two ago. 
> 
> I'm going to be honest, I had no plans on continuing to write that fic, nor rewriting it. Between juggling commissions, mental health, school, and a general loss of interest in A Hat in Time, I no longer had the time or desire to continue writing it. But a lot has changed and as I start thinking about the future and how scary and big everything will be after school, nostalgia has beckoned me back to a lot of the things that have been comforting in the past... so here I am.
> 
> Things are going to be fairly different, but they're also going to stay the same- if you've ever read a few chapters ACiT, you know what to expect; just more cohesive and plot-focused, less filler-heavy and less scheduled. I have taken all feedback I've received to heart.
> 
> So for new readers, welcome, and for old readers, welcome back. Thanks once again for joining me on this journey, and I hope you enjoy the ride. Comments are always appreciated, no matter how big or small. :)


	2. Beyond the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kid returns to Mafia Town in search of a time rift and a familiar face.

Kid woke up during the Witching Hour.

For some, the Witching Hour brought feelings of fear and uncertainty. For others, like Kid, it presented itself as a familiar comfort. Nothing about the Witching Hour ever changes- not the glittering stars scattered across the violet sky like spilled marbles nor the tales of shadowy creatures that lurked in dark corners and haunted old homes that Kid recalled rather fondly. The Witching Hour was nothing more than another hour in the night, if not more whimsical than most.

So when Kid woke up, she stole a brief, sleepy glance at the window across her room- just barely registering the crisp heavy snowflakes that fell, the wind outside whispering promises of a storm to come- before she rolled back onto her stomach and sank deeper into her bed. Her eyes fluttered shut, the hum of the heater rhythmic and comforting, lulling her back into a bizarre, fantastical dream.

A sudden thud of something metallic clanging against a tile floor snapped Kid out of her whimsical fantasies, jolting her awake as she stared wide-eyed at the wall in front of her, the hair on the back of her neck standing on edge. For a moment, her mind raced- _was it an intruder? Some time-traveling fiend? Perhaps it was just Bow,_ although Kid couldn’t fathom a reason as to why she’d return so late in the evening- but then she heard Minuit’s aggressive meow and settled down.

_Just the little brat being silly again._

Not even a moment after she had finally settled- pulling one of her pillows close in a warm embrace and drifting back into dreamland- a knock on the wall followed by a hiss jerked Kid out of her dreams again. This time, Kid wasted no time in jumping out of bed, not bothering with slippers even as her feet made contact with the cold wooden floor and grabbing the first blunt object she could get her hands on, racing out of her bedroom and turning on the lights and holding her makeshift “weapon” up in defense.

“Get out of my-” She paused as fond memories flooded into the forefront of her mind, the figure standing before her one that she had never expected to see again. “... _house.”_

“Hello, young one.” They said. The figure before her stood tall and prideful, barely putting their weight into the wooden staff they relied on. Their purple hood was still wrapped tightly around their mask, painted eyes and a knowing smile hiding their true nature. Their head twitched and spun, black fragments floating away from their body as it unnaturally spazzed and twitched at irregular intervals. “It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. You’ve changed quite a bit.”

They hadn’t aged a day since the last time Kid had seen them, over a decade ago.

Sighing softly, Kid dropped her makeshift weapon onto the floor, shifting from one foot to the other as she wrung her hands, bewildered by their presence. She had always suspected that the Badge Seller was someone like her- able to bend time and able to access any dimension far from their original timeline at will, unbeknownst to their reality- but she had never expected to see them after her adventures. Certainly not standing in her living room in the middle of the night.

“It has.” She said after a moment of hesitance, running her hand through her hair before steadying herself. 

“May I sit?” They asked, gesturing to an old blue sofa, worn with love. Kid nodded, watching them sit down before following suit and sinking into a pile of pillows that had turned into a makeshift chair with time. She sat stilll, watching the Badge Keeper as they got comfortable. When they looked up to her- the mask unchanged, expression blank but kind- she immediately knew this wasn’t any sort of social call.

“You’ve made quite a life for yourself.” They said finally, taking in the room around them and then Kid herself. “I suppose you’re no child anymore… which means you probably know this isn’t some friendly visit.”

Kid hesitated. “What happened?”

“Someone’s trapped in a potentially hazardous time rift.” They began. “I’m not too sure how it happened, but the rift is in a rather open area, leaving anyone able to access it. They could get trapped.” Kid pursed her lips and the Badge Seller paused. “Somebody’s already in there, and they’ve been in there for some time. They might die with it if they stay any longer, or they could fix it and take the timepiece for themselves.”

“Do you know who’s trapped in it?”

“I’m not sure.”

“You know,” She said with a sigh as she messed with the hem of her sweater. “I have a life set up here. It’s not something I can just… leave behind.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t dire.” The Badge Seller asked. “But I can feel that something has… _changed,_ and I know you can feel it too.” Kid raised her eyebrows. “It’s in the atmosphere, in the air...”

“In the snow.” She said softly. “... From that rift.”

“Exactly.” They nodded. “I’m unable to enter rifts anymore. They could do irreversible damage to what’s left of my body. I wouldn’t come to you if there was anyone else I could go to.” He paused, catching her gaze with hollow eyes. “After this, everything will return to normal. We, _I,_ just need you to be the hero one last time.”

Kid got up slowly from her seat on the pillows, brushing herself off. “Just… give me a minute to think about it.”

“Take your time.” They said with a gentle nod and Kid returned to her room, pausing at the door when she took note of the black cat who sat on the edge of her bed, his tail lashing left and right. His amber eyes were narrow and locked on her and she sighed, taking a seat and hesitantly holding her hand out to him. He sniffed and failed to nuzzle up to her the way he always did with Bow, but he didn’t recoil either, instead settling down next to her. She lowered her hand and the two kept their eyes on the rotating lights on the door.

_Hadn’t she been dreaming of an opportunity for another adventure just moments prior?_

Deep down, Kid’s dedication to her responsibilities was fragile at best and although she’d never admit it out loud, she knew it, too. If it hadn’t been for the fact that she _had_ established a life here, she would’ve jumped for the opportunity without a second thought- but now, things were risky. Sure, she could easily make it back- it wasn’t like her ship was fixed to the Earth or anything and most of her furniture was bolted to the floor- without too much trouble, but there was the risk of getting caught. What if Timmy showed up for one of his many unannounced visits, or what if Bow came home early? There was no way for her to explain away how she had managed to make her entire home disappear without having to come clean about her past and the otherworldly power she had been hiding right before their very eyes. Timmy, she knew, was into all of those fantastical conspiracy theories, but Bow was less than fond of them. Being exposed to something like that would be _life changing,_ quite frankly, and not in the good way.

And what about her _own_ life? Sure, she had been lucky in the past, and although she still trained and practiced once or twice a week, Kid was far removed from the agile fighter she had been in her youth. What if she got injured? What if she _died?_

Still… if she didn’t return, things could only get worse. She had long since theorized that rifts could lead to timepiece corruption, and all that spelled was bad news. Besides, she was the self-proclaimed _Keeper of Time,_ wasn’t she? It was her responsibility to keep this timeline safe- and now it was time to own up to it.

Kid looked over to Minuit, who met her gaze with one of passive discontent, and sighed. She knew from the moment she had laid eyes on the Badge Keeper that she’d say yes to whatever they had to offer, and she knew they knew it too.

Kid returned to her living room a moment later, pulling on a clean black turtleneck and buttoning up her pants. She turned her gaze to the Badge Seller briefly as she made her way over to her coat rack. “So, where is this rift?”

“In Mafia Town.” The Badge Seller explained as she buttoned up her mauve coat and wrapped her favourite scarf around her neck. “It’s down near the beach, near a cave- it’s surrounded by old signs. It’s hard to miss.” 

“Alright.” Kid nodded, walking over to an inconspicuous desk propped up against a window and flipping open the top, revealing a control panel. Flicking various switches and pressing various buttons, the ship slowly began to come to life- the screens on the walls revealing themselves not to be walls but digital maps and a count of how many timepieces were in the vault and a part of the roof detached itself from the rest, revealing itself to be a platform that lead up to the attic. “This won’t take long, right?”

“It shouldn’t. Do you still have my hats? My badges?”

“Up in the attic,” She nodded. “But I don’t think I’ll need it.”

“You can never be too prepared,” The Badge Seller began, although they were well aware of the fact that she would brush their advice off. They stood behind Kid for a moment, watching as she made mental calculations of how much power would it take to navigate the developing snowstorm and push through the atmosphere, before sighing and leaning into their staff. “Thank you, young one. Your efforts won’t be in vain.”

Kid turned her attention from the snow that fell outside to the being behind her, watching as their reflection faded from the glass. Then, she was alone- Minuit likely curled up at the foot of her bed, never one to be affectionate with Kid but surprisingly lenient of her presence tonight- with Bow far away and Timmy busy with… well, whatever he was busy with these days, he was about as secretive with his hobbies as Kid was with her past.

With a press of a few buttons, the pulling of a lever and various passcodes, a limited amount of powers went straight to the engine of her ship and she took off to the skies, admiring the sight of the glittering stars above and the fading lights of her sleepy little town below, quickly getting eaten up by snow and clouds and then… nothing. Within a few minutes, the planet that was responsible for her fondest memories and greatest adventures stood before her, beautiful and virtually unchanged in the past decade, it’s two suns shining above it. She stopped the ship for a moment before directing it down to the planet, parking it in the sky when the Mafia headquarters came into view.

Once on the island, Kid retrieved her hook and shook her umbrella off before she pulled her hat down. She kept her head held high but not too high as not to be recognized, walking with the demeanor of someone who walked with purpose and pride and wasn’t to be bothered (although there really wasn’t any need to- she was just an inch or two shorter than the Mafia goons who failed to recognize her now). Taking in the beachside town around her, Kid realized that Mafia Town was about the same as she remembered, if not a little more industrialized. Mafia Goons still littered every corner of the city, their thick mustaches and blue pinstripe suits making them impossible to tell apart. Propaganda and _“in cod we trust”_ was still found on every street corner and old vandalism was still someone visible underneath layers of peeled paint. The scent of raw fish and the salty sea mixed into something rather unpleasant still hung heavily in the air and the scorching summer sun had quickly gone from welcoming to merciless, the heat biting into Kid’s skin and making her wish she hadn’t worn so many layers. In fact, on second thought, _nothing_ had changed about Mafia Town. It was as if the timepiece she had given Mustache Girl had gone completely to waste.

_Mustache Girl._

Despite being the primary antagonist of her novels- although she was one Kid recalled rather fondly- the fact that she had left behind a timepiece for her had completely escaped her. In fact, it made perfect sense now; there hadn’t been a chance in hell she had carelessly left behind a timepiece to be taken advantage of by any of the other… _colourful_ characters that resided on the planet. 

Truth be told, Kid really believed in Mustache Girl- had the moment she had met her, even if she had been preoccupied with her own issues and didn’t fully agree with her goals. Despite her rebelliousness and snarky demeanor, Kid knew that there was a hero inside of Mu, waiting for the right moment to come out. In the end, she had just been a young, mislead girl who was passionate about serving justice and wanted to do the right thing. Which was why she was so surprised nothing about the island had changed.

Connecting the dots between the rift and her old frenemy, Kid hoped that she was alright.

After navigating the island for a few minutes, Kid climbed down a couple of rocks on the side of the island’s many structures before taking a leap of fate, opening her umbrella at the last minute to break her fall. She floated down, landing gracefully on her feet in the sand before strolling along the shoreline in her search for the cave. It didn’t take long for her to recognize just _what_ she was searching for, especially as old, wooden signs- worn down by time, water damage and termites- started to pop up here and there, with _“SOD OFF”_ and _“GO AWAY”_ scrawled onto them in bright red letters. It felt like eyes were on Kid, analyzing her every movement, but when she looked around, there was nobody to be seen.

When she finally found the cave, it invoked a rather bittersweet feeling in the pit of her stomach. Although time had taken its toll on it, Kid recognized it all rather well- the faded red tally counting the Mafia sabotages and the faded drawing of the Mafia Boss. Before she could dwell on the past, however, Kid took in the rift before her. The tangy scent of metal emanated from the glittering orb, which turned and glowed on its own.

Adjusting her hat and taking one last breath to prepare herself for anything, Kid pressed her hand against the rift and an array of bright lights burst from it. The world around Kid spun rapidly before falling deathly still, and then the lights- all brilliant blues and glamorous golds but, most prominently, a blinding white- engulfed everything around Kid.

Then, nothing.


	3. The Hero (obviously)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mu finds herself face to face with the one person she thought she'd never see again.

Mustache Girl- known now simply as  _ Mu-  _ had made many poor decisions throughout her lifetime. Some depended wholly on the eye of the beholder; like leaving her parent’s side when the Mafia first arrived on the island. Others, however, were far from it; like allowing the power of the timepieces to go straight to her head.  _ Everyone  _ knew that was the shittiest mistake of the century; herself included.

In the last fifteen or so years, it had grown impossible to see the world through her former selves black and white thinking. She knew now that justice was impossible to truly serve and that there would always be two sides of any story. There would always be a victim in every situation and heroes and villains, much like everything else, were purely subjective.

Except for her, apparently.

To everyone she knew, Mu was a villain. To everyone she  _ didn’t,  _ she was something much worse. Try as she might to save her soiled reputation (and  _ boy,  _ had she tried), it seemed that her mistakes would always follow her. She had just been a child bestowed with too much power, but to everyone else, she’d always be the stupid kid who tried to take over the world first and an actual person second. She had been rejected from pretty much  _ everywhere-  _ be it the dirty looks she received from the Moon Penguins, whispered comments from the Subconites or being denied access onto the Owl Express- but the worst of it all had been Mafia Town. Instead of being met with violence and teasing like she had originally expected, Mu had been… scoffed at.  _ Shunned. _

At first, she had reacted the way she always had- with threats and attempts at sabotaging their livelihood, but it no longer worked the way it once had. As she got older, she had (bitterly) attempted to set aside her differences and join the Mafia, but that hadn’t worked the way she had expected, either; she may have donned the striped blue uniform of her enemy, but that didn’t mean she was one of them. Any potential sense of kinship she may have once had the chance to experience was long gone. Everything she once  _ had  _ was gone. With nothing but the clothes on her back and the single timepiece a certain hatted child had graciously bestowed unto her, Mu hesitantly moved on in attempts to make a new life for herself- one of exploring and traveling, of scavenging and fighting, of trying to find purpose in a world that failed to give her one. She had learned time and time again that nobody cared for the villains of the story, whether they wanted to be one or not. It was the hero they cared about, the savior they admired, but that girl had long since left the planet.

Adventuring, exploring and otherwise getting into places where she didn’t belong was something that, quite frankly, came naturally to Mu- but not without a little help, of course. 

The timepiece that Hat Kid had left behind for her was both a blessing and a curse. She used it many times to get her sorry ass out of deadly situations, to assist herself in battles when needed and hopping in and out of timelines whenever she pleased. She enjoyed being able to see the world through various lenses that nobody else would ever be able to see and knowing the past and present in intricate detail that others could only  _ dream  _ of. But with every advantage it brought, every tantalizing opportunity it offered Mu to make things  _ normal  _ again, she could sense that something was changing in her  _ own  _ world, as if it were becoming more…  _ fragile,  _ almost.

It was something Mu couldn’t exactly put a finger on.

Still, without that timepiece, Mu would’ve had nothing, would’ve continued to  _ be  _ nothing. So perhaps she had something to thank that little hat-wearing twerp for, after all.

_Great._ Now she was her hero too. Fantastic.

_ Hat Kid, Hat Kid, Hat Kid…  _ despite the fact that her entire sense of self-worth depended solely on the fact that the alien girl with a heart of gold was merciful enough to give her a second chance, Mu never thought of her (or so she claimed). After all, what reason did she have to? Hat Kid had turned her back on the planet the moment she had been presented with a chance to- she had come for her timepieces, established a name and reputation for herself in the process, and then she had left. She was remembered rather fondly by everyone else on the planet, so surely not being on the mind of  _ one  _ person didn’t do any harm. Quite frankly, there were many times Mu had wished hat Hat Kid hadn’t shown up on the planet in the first place- had it not been for her and her ability to bend space and time at her will and her refusal to use it for a good cause, Mu would’ve grown up as nothing but a mild nuisance to the Mafia with an all-too-big ego, and surely that was much better than being their sworn enemy.

Other times, however? Mu simply wished that she could go back and change how she had treated Hat Kid: she should’ve been more kind, more lenient, more  _ understanding.  _ After all, it was the least of what she deserved. Hat Kid had always seen the best in people, whether they had been child dictators, murderous filmmakers or something else entirely.

Sure, Mu  _ could  _ go back and change her behavior, but the possible paradoxes that could come from it would destroy everything as she knew it. Besides, it gave her an excuse not to dwell on the past and go back in time just to thank the girl for everything she had done. Missed opportunities were just that-  _ missed opportunities-  _ and Mu was fairly certain that she hadn’t crossed Hat Kid’s mind since the moment she had left. She had grown up just as Mu had, only she was likely off saving worlds and having grandiose adventures while Mu…

Well, Mu was in purgatory.

_ That  _ was a fun little fact she had completely forgotten.

The world she was in now was crafted of painful memories, forcing her to relive her past from an outsider’s perspective on loop. They were the type of memories that made that made her heart swell and ache at the same time, more bitter than sweet.

Some warmed her heart to see: seeing her parents, breathing, living,  _ loving,  _ watching as her father scooped up her younger self into a big hug and as she tugged on her mother’s beard to wake her up during the holidays. Others made her heart wrench, reigniting an old but passionate hatred for the Mafia or causing her heart to rise to her throat as she watched a heavy cannonball fly through the sky.

After watching her life pass by for the thirtieth time, however... it got old fast. At first, Mu had taken to trying to interfere with the world, attempting to punch Mafia Goons and trying to warn her parents of her fate, but her fist simply flew through them and her words fell on deaf ears. Although hopping from platform to platform and attempting to collect pons entertained her for a little (though there were these certain regal looking ones her hand just swiped through), she quickly ran out of things to do.

Now, Mu sat on the sandy shores of what had once been her island, letting the salty ocean water lap at the tips of her shoes. She wasn’t exactly sure  _ how  _ she had gotten here- one minute, she had been visiting her old hideout for nostalgia’s sake, only recently having returned from another universe-hopping adventure- and the second, something- or  _ someone-  _ had jumped her, cracking the timepiece over her head. She had barely gotten a glimpse of the being, but what she  _ had  _ seen didn’t look real, black fragments floating away from a warped, indecipherable figure was flat, as if something 2D. Then, Mu had woken up here, head aching and mind dazed in a world that was  _ almost  _ like her own.

Maybe she had died. Maybe this was some sort of limbo designed to drive her crazy before she was sent to the afterlife- lost, uncertain and alone, it sure was working. She wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to keep this up.

Then, as if her desperation alone had manifested it, something finally  _ changed-  _ a mystical array of bright lights exploded in the sky, catching Mu’s attention just as some sort of creature fell from it rather gracefully. Tired of watching the ocean waves crash against the shoreline, she was quick to jump up and try to locate what had fallen from the sky.

Mu had always been quick and agile, but this talent had improved tenfold over the past few years; it was easy for her to maneuver over and under obstacles that stood in her way, although regardless, they wouldn’t have been too much trouble- Mafia Town was a place she could probably navigate even if she were deaf, blind and lacked a sense of touch, it’s setup etched into her brain and as familiar as the back of her freckled hand. She knew every shortcut, every nook and cranny and every hole in the wall she no longer fit into.

Growing suspicious as she realized that the world wasn’t playing her entire life on loop anymore and instead focusing on one specific memory, Mu stopped in her tracks when she found a pipelike-vault atop one of the few homes that still stood tall. Furrowing her brows, she hoisted herself up onto the roof and took a long look at her surroundings. Outside of the vault; nothing new.

Maybe she was going to the afterlife. Better gather her bearings.

Sighing, Mu grabbed ahold of the handle to the vault, turning it and…  _ nothing.  _ With a small grunt, she put all of her strength into it. The handle didn’t budge, whether she tried to turn it, pry at it or break it open with the first blunt object she could find.

Smacking the vault with a frustrated groan (and immediately regretting it- why did she think hitting  _ metal  _ was a good idea?), Mu turned her gaze up to the muted blue sky.

“If you’re going to keep me in purgatory for the rest of my life, at least don’t tease me with the idea of getting out!” She snapped. “Have some  _ respect!” _

Nothing, of course.

The world was silent to Mu’s pleas and she huffed, leaning into the vault. She was going to die here, wasn’t she? She had so much unfinished business she still needed to attend to, things she still wanted to do and relationships she wanted to mend; if only she still had her timepiece!  _ Surely  _ if she had the chance, she’d go back in time and wrap Hat Kid in the tightest hug imaginable, apologizing for her mistakes and thanking her for opening her eyes. She wasn’t ready to die just yet! She-

“Hey!” A voice called out from just above Mu. She looked up, a small yelp escaping her as she just barely managed to jerk her head away in time to avoid being kicked in the face by a pair of brown boots. The person who had been speaking grabbed the handle to the vault and turned it effortlessly, a blinding, golden light illuminating their face and hiding any distinguishing features. They held out a pale hand to Mu. “Come with me!”

She didn’t question their presence or hesitate, thankful to finally be presented with the chance to leave this purgatory. She grabbed the woman’s hand, hopping into the vault with her.

The world around Mu blurred and when the blinding lights around her had faded, a new world around her had materialized like dew on grass. Around her, lava bubbled hot and the sky was a blazing, crimson red. Bits and pieces of what had once been her castle floated around her- she and her mystery savior stood on one that very moment- and a golden statue sunk into the magma below.

She couldn’t help but cringe. She knew this setting all too well.

The person to her left let go of her hand, briefly looking back at her. “Stay right here,” She said firmly before jumping off, umbrella in tow. Mu squinted, watching the brunette dash off and be the hero before the woman’s identity finally clicked.

Her mouth was agape as she watched the alien hop and climb and swing from structure to structure. Outside of her outfit and the fact that she was  _ much  _ taller than Mu had ever expected, nothing had really  _ changed  _ about her.

_ Hat Kid (or Hat Adult), the one person she had never expected to see again, was right in front of her in all of her time-traveling, world-saving glory. _

Hat Adult was quick to hop back, landing besides Mu. She adjusted the hat atop her head with a sigh before approaching the vault behind them and Mu was frozen, only able to stop and stare as she watched the alien grab the vault handle and effortlessly twist it open. She closed her mouth and cleared her throat just as she began to climb into the vault. Hat Adult looked over her shoulder and sure enough, she was exactly how Mu remembered- upturned eyes with a button nose and the same brown ponytail with loose strands that hung at her shoulders.

Mu swallowed. “I know you,” Was all she managed to get out for a moment. Her eyes rapidly scanned the lava field wasteland, as if the movement would help settle her racing thoughts, before turning her attention back to her. “Hat Kid,”

“Mustache Girl,” Hat Adult echoed with a nod. “We should go. Come on.”

“Okay.” She watched her climb into the vault and quickly followed suit.

The next ‘level’ of what, well, whatever they were in was similar to the rest but smaller, no more vivid than a chill in the air, a shimmer of mist, diffused, like a poorly taken photograph. Everything was muted and faded and in the center of it all was a purple orb that glittered and glowed far too brightly to be  _ real _ . Hat Adult stretched, swung her umbrella, and turned to face Mu.

The air between them was heavy and thick with years of regrets and unspoken words.

“Been a while,” Mu said after a moment’s hesitance, crossing her arms.

“Sure has.” She said, scanning Mu and the person she had grown into. She chuckled, and a small smile grew on her face. “I can’t believe it,”

“Can’t believe what?”

“That you, you know-” Her entertained grin grew, revealing sharp fangs as she gestured up and down with her hand. “You joined the Mafia.”

_ “What?!”  _ The statement alone practically sent a jolt throughout Mu’s body before she looked at herself, noting the suit she was wearing. “I’d never join the Mafia- I’d rather die!”

“But the outfit-”

“But the outfit  _ nothing!”  _ She quickly interrupted, folding her arms. “This was the only clothes they had in my size… and that I could steal. Besides,  _ anything  _ to mess up the Mafia.”

She raised her eyebrows silently. After a moment, Mu raised them back. “What?”

“Can’t they just make…  _ more  _ suits?”

“Let’s not think about the details. Besides, it costs money and distracts them and…” Mu cleared her throat.  _ “Anyways,  _ where are we? What are we doing here? How did you even get here in the first place? I thought you were off having wild space adventures lightyears away or something.”

“If only,” She said with a light chuckle as she resumed swinging her umbrella. “We’re in a time rift, which are these little pocket dimensions caused by timepieces. You must’ve broken your timepiece somehow, since the whole rift was befitting your memories.”

“Oh, I’ve got a hunch about how my timepiece broke.”

“You do?” She stopped swinging.

“Some sort of creature took it from me and cracked it over my head! No clue  _ how  _ it happened, I barely even saw the thing. All I know is that it had some weird black stuff floating away from it-” Mu nodded towards her general direction. “Like that.”

“Black stuff?” She asked, furrowing her brows and looking behind herself, inhaling sharply and her grip on her umbrella tightening. Behind Kid, black fragments floated away from a creature that was just barely seen, flickering when they got too close to the surface. Before Mu could say anything or go to see it better, a deafening sound of a rift shattering blasted through the sky, a ray of iridescent lights bursting before her very eyes.

The ground beneath them rumbled, then cracked. Without warning, everything around Mu began to disintegrate, the sky becoming fuzzy, resembling some sort of apparition and everything around her beginning to crumble into the void.

Her heart jumped into her throat as she turned her gaze back to the woman before her. “What’s happening?!”

“Someone closed the rift! We’re leaving!”

The world burst into a ray of vibrant, psychedelic colours and Mu had to squeeze her eyes shut. The world around them spun in a spiral, nothing leading up or down. As quickly as it had started it ended, and Mu crashed face first into the sandy floor.

She groaned and sat up, looking around and taking in the beach before her eyes with a soft sigh. She had never been so happy to be back in Mafia Town and the scent of the ocean was intoxicating, how it churned and whipped the waves like a vortex, calling to her. Drawing her in.

She ran her hand through her bangs, trying to shake the hair out before she looked back to the hatted woman, who stood elegant and tall with her umbrella by her side, unaffected by…  _ whatever  _ they had just experienced. Mu longed to be like her, elegant and talented and easily able to adjust to anything, taking danger in stride and…  _ what? _

_ Get it together. _

The alien was searching for something. Mu got up and brushed the sand off of her slacks. “What’re you looking for?”

“The timepiece.” Hat Adult explained, her expression slowly shifting to one of unease and concern. “Normally, it’d be with me because I’d be the one to break the rift, but… I wasn’t the one to break it.” She shifted and put a hand on her hip. “And now it’s gone and… do you recall any of the features of that creature?”

“No, just that it had those black things, but…”

“That’s all I saw, too. I watched the rift bounce around and break, but it was as if all I was looking at was air.”

“That creature looked like it was 2D.”

Kid nodded, furrowing her brows as she processed the information given to her before adjusting her hat and straightening her back. “Well, it was nice to see you again. I hope things have been going well since the last time I was here.”

“Well, they’ve- wait, that’s it? Where are you going?”

“To figure out what’s going on. I’ll be back with your timepiece when I find it. It shouldn’t take too long.” She said confidently. “Maybe a few hours or so.”

“A few-  _ what?  _ No, I’m coming with you.”

Hat Adult looked back at her quizzically and Mu frowned, crossing her arms. “That’s  _ my  _ timepiece. I’m responsible for it, so I’ll be damned if I’m going to let someone clean up after me. Besides, two minds over one? We’ll have this mystery solved in no time.”

“... I suppose you’re right.”

“I am right- it’s part of my  _ naturally heroic nature.”  _ She said with the most utmost of confidence, her face lighting up when she got a pleased chuckle from her new companion. “So, where to now?”

“Back to my ship. It’s a little risky, but I could probably just turn back time and retrieve the timepiece. That way, we’ll be able to eliminate our thief by figuring out who they are, so they won’t attempt to do something even more risky in hopes of getting their hands on your timepiece  _ and  _ prevent this from ever happening.”

“I don’t want to forget my memories.”

“If you’re with me, you won’t. So come on,” She scanned the sky for her ship. “You’re probably going to want to hold onto me.” She said, angling her umbrella so she’d be able to properly hookshot to it. Mu hesitated before stepping close, wrapping her arms around the woman’s waist. 

“So,” She said awkwardly. Hat Adult looked down to her, raising an eyebrow. “What do I even call you? I sure can’t call you  _ Hat Kid  _ anymore because of… well, the obvious.”

“Whatever you’d like, I guess.”

“You don’t have a name?”

She shot her hookshot at her ship, giving her umbrella a sharp tug to make sure it’s grip was sturdy enough. “My friends at home call me Kid.”

_ “Kid?”  _ Mu asked. “Well, if we’re using aliases… I guess you can call me Mu.”

“Alright, Mu.”

“Alright, Kid.” She echoed. 

“Hold on tight,” She pulled the umbrella and then the two were off, flying through the air and Mu held on for dear life. Once on the ship, she was quick to let go of Kid, taking in her surroundings as the other hung up her hat and made her way to the control panel. She watched her sit down, spin briefly in her chair and press various buttons that did various techy things Mu wouldn’t know anything about (or care to). The ship was nice, mostly unchanged, and Mu wandered about aimlessly before stopping in her tracks.

“What is  _ that?” _

“What’s what?” Kid asked, turning around as Mu gestured towards the small creature standing before her. It was small, black and hairy, its ears perked up like radars and honey eyes zoned in on her. “Oh! That’s Minuit.”

“What is it?”

“He’s a cat.” Mu watched as he began to approach her with slow, cautious steps. “My… friend’s pet. He’s a total jerk. Doesn’t like anyone except his owner, not even me.”

“A jerk? But he’s so... small.”

“I’ve got quite the scar on my arm to prove it.” Kid huffed as this ‘cat’ approached Mu. He was careful, sniffing from her shoe to her leg and walking around for a moment before pressing his head against her calf.

Kid blinked rapidly.

“Are you sure he just doesn’t like  _ you?”  _ Mu quipped. The little creature wasn’t any different from those rather large crows in Mafia Town (who seemed to be just as surprisingly affectionate as he was), and Mu squatted to touch him, scratching behind his ears and eliciting a warm rumbling sound from his chest. “He doesn’t seem like much of a jerk to me.”

“I can’t believe it!” Kid huffed as she got up from her chair, approaching the two. “I’ve lived with him for  _ years  _ and he can’t stand being around me! Half of the time if I get close-”

Just as she approached Mu’s side, Minuit backed up, arching his back and hissing at the woman before scurrying off to another room. Mu got up and Kid crossed her arms.

“What did you  _ do  _ to him?” Mu asked, mildly entertained.

“I’ve been nothing but nice to that mean little thing.” Kid scoffed, only half-serious as she turned back on her heel and went to sit back on her chair. Mu followed, peering over the seat and watching her flick switches and press buttons. “Sometimes he tolerates me, but even that is few and between. I can’t believe he liked you just like  _ that!  _ I alway thought it was because I was an alien, but I suppose not…”

“Maybe it’s because I’m  _ quite  _ the charming character.”

“Maybe it’s because you’re so hairy, he mistook you for one of his kind.” Kid said lightly. Mu let out an offended scoff as Kid pressed a final button, getting up from her chair. “Alright, timepieces.”

“What were you doing just now, anyways?”

“Turning off the security alarms. It’s a hassle when they go off, so I just turn it off preemptively.” She stretched her hands as she led Mu up to the vault, inputting a code before reaching out to the vault handle. Mu briefly wanted to ask about how she had managed to open the vault in the time rift (she didn’t look  _ that  _ strong, although it was hard to tell under her bulky coat), but was distracted by the expression of dread that quickly spread on Kid’s face.

“What..?”

“What is it?” Mu peered in.

“They’re gone.”

Sure enough, the vault- which Mu remembered being filled to the brim with glittery hourglasses, beautiful with their poplar handles and ancient sigils, radiating a time-slowing aura and the faint sound of a ticking clock- was empty. The scent of metal hung heavy in the air, bitter and sharp and burning Mu’s nostrils. She took a step back, fanning the air before her.

“That smells  _ terrible,”  _ She stiffed, but her comment went ignored as she watched Kid slowly step inside and look around the vault. She watched as she tried to mask her devastation and then as she furrowed her brows, deep in thought. Mu’s gaze shifted from her to a small source of light in the corner of the vault and she stepped inside after her, scooting past her and approaching the object.

It was a timepiece.

It lay on its side, glass shattered and scattered across the floor. Glittery blue liquid steadily flowed from one of the holes, steady in its source as a puddle grew. The rich stench of metal was strongest there, pungent and sharp in the back of Mu’s throat. She pinched her nose shut and looked back to Kid. “There’s still one left,”

Within an instant, Kid was by Mu’s side, smacking her hand away as she reached out to touch it.

“It’s… something, right?” 

“I’ve never seen anything like this.” Kid shook her head, running a hand through her hair anxiously. “This isn’t supposed to happen. Broken timepieces create rifts, not…  _ this,”  _ She said softly, picking up the timepiece. “I don’t know what this is.”

Mu opened her mouth to speak, but everything seemed to happen at once- a strong tremor quickly traveling up Kid’s arms, the rancid scent in the air increasing by a tenfold and that faint sound of a clock ticking fast and deafeningly loud in Mu’s ears as Kid gasped sharply and dropped the timepiece. Glass shattered and before Mu knew what she was doing, shehad just barely caught Kid from collapsing onto the floor, arms hooked underneath hers. She gave her a gentle tug, pulling her away from the timepiece. Kid’s skin was burning hot against hers, but before Mu could even begin to process what had just happened, she regained consciousness, squirming in her grip.

“Kid? What was  _ that?” _

“I don’t know, I-”

“Hey, calm down.” Mu said firmly, her grip on Kid tightening. “You’re shaking and everything. What was that, a seizure?”

Kid stilled, silent for a moment as Mu carefully set her head down on her lap. She watched her with concern and eventually, Kid let out a long sigh, closing her eyes. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’ve never had one.”

“It looked like one. You should rest.”

“This is bad.” She shook her head, staying on Mu’s lap for about ten more seconds before sitting up. She rubbed her temples and Mu turned her gaze to the timepiece. It seemed…  _ diluted,  _ almost, the outline of it warped and faded, as if painted with a fine brush but a shaky hand, watercolour paint fading with every stroke. "It’s not supposed to be like this. This could mean anything.”

“We can figure out what  _ anything  _ is later. We’ve got all the time in the world right now.” She began. “You’ll rest, and I’ll clean up the timepiece-”

The glare that Kid shot her was one that reeked of malice, sending a shiver down Mu’s spine as she quickly raised her hands in self defense. “Iiii  _ won’t  _ clean up the timepiece! I’ll just bond with Minute or something.”

_ “Minuit.” _

“I’ll bond with him while you get some rest. Plus, it’s easier to figure things out when you’ve got a clear mind.” Mu stood up, holding her hand out to Kid and pulling her up steadily, keeping a firm grip as she briefly struggled to steady herself. “We’ll figure this out. What’s the worst that can happen?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Around this time last year, the talented Osofanhai on Tumblr created [some amazing fanart](https://osofanhai.tumblr.com/post/188065720081/fan-art-for-an-amazing-fic-called-a-crack-in) for this fic! If you want a pretty clear mental image of some characters and scenes, you should check out some of their works. 
> 
> Just be warned for some spoilers (and pieces of art that are no longer canon)!


	4. Before the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bow returns home.
> 
> Or, well... she tries to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha!! it lives!!!!!

Snow was always light at this time of year, but Bow’s heart was heavy.

Being in the city had been nothing short of a dream come true. It was so different from her sleepy little hometown, yet simultaneously everything she had ever imagined; a world rife with opportunity, full of brilliant architecture that lined the streets and glamorous lights that perfectly complimented her partner’s adoring gaze.

In the city, Bow had gotten a taste of everything she had ever wanted for herself; a life full of hustle and bustle yet rife with enchantment and wonder with someone to share it with.

It was a shame that it had been her partner’s adoring gaze that had soured her mood, finally allowing her to come to the realization that  _ maybe  _ she wasn’t the one for her.

Internally, she wasn’t sure how to word it. Saying that she didn’t  _ love  _ her was wording it too harshly, as she  _ did  _ love her… just maybe not in the traditional sense. She still cared about her and wanted nothing more than for her to grow and thrive, but Bow had realized that she wasn’t the person for her partner to grow and thrive  _ with.  _ No, she was anything but, and it had taken actually living with her- if only for a few days- for her to see that.

Running her hand along a sample of golden cashmere, trying to decide if she’d use it to sew a scarf, Bow knew that this wasn’t the first time this had happened. She had always been like this, a people-pleaser with the unfortunate habit of trying to overcome her own feelings and forcing herself to feel something that wasn’t there.

She had been this way with Kid, trying to force herself to stay in love even when her feelings had long since faded. Now she was pulling the same thing with her partner, trying to force herself to move on too fast and fall in love, but she just…  _ couldn’t.  _ This wasn’t how it worked- never had been- but too many times had she put her feelings last even when it bit her in the ass. Like it was now.

It was something she had to work on, sure, but she’d be damned if she were going to do anything about it now. It was the holidays, and she’d be a right fool to ruin it for the both of them.

Besides, she had more important things to worry about, like choosing which fabric she’d be making this scarf with. Bow was about as extravagant with her gifts as she was with her choice of fashion, and while she had already bought her friends  _ (especially Kid)  _ a plethora of gifts, she thought that something nice and handmade would be the cherry on top, considering just how ratty and worn thin with love Kid’s signature scarf had become.

Really, though, Bow hoped that it’d work as some sort of an apology. Announcing a sudden change of plans to spend the holidays with a woman she had just met had thrown Kid for a loop, and she had seen in those pretty blue eyes of hers how much it had hurt. There was a divide between them now that Bow found herself desperate to bridge.

On one hand, Bow couldn’t blame her. Right from the start, Kid had always been loyal, had loved her in a way Bow had never been loved before, but their constant cycle of breaking up and getting back together had grown to be too much. How much longer had she expected Bow to hold out for her?

Eventually, one of them would’ve had to make a decision. Bow just happened to be the one.

Before Bow could continue to wallow in self-reflection, her phone rang. She let her partner know she’d be on the phone, waving her off before answering.

“Timothy.”

“Marcias.”

“That’s  _ Bow  _ to you,” Bow said with a small smile and a lightness to her voice. Timothy, better known as  _ Timmy  _ to everyone who knew him, was a strange man who had an intense passion for the eighties and strange, vibrant tattoos that never seemed to fade. He also happened to be Bow’s oldest (and admittedly closest) friend, having met during their formative years and attached at the hip ever since. “You know what, you called at the perfect time. I’m at the craft store-”

“Bow,”

“- And I want to knit Kid a scarf, because, well, you’ve seen what that old thing looks like. I was thinking wool or cashmere-”

_ “Bow,” _

“- But now that I’m saying it out loud, maybe cotton might work… or should I go traditional knitting and use yarn? Maybe-”

“Bow!” Timmy interrupted. “Have you spoken to Kid lately?”

Bow paused. There was no lightness to his voice, no embarrassingly outdated slang or playful shut-ups. “... No, not since I’ve left, but I haven’t reached out and you know how she is about phone calls.”

“So she’s not with you?”

“... No.”

Bow listened as Timmy took in a slow breath. In the distance, she could hear snow crunching beneath his feet, a subtle indication of his pacing. “Jesus,”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Kid’s gone, Bow.”

Immediately, dread rose in Bow’s throat, bitter like bile. Her mind immediately began to race, heart hammering like a jackrabbit’s foot thumping as she stumbled over question after question.  _ Where is she? Gone as in isolating herself or gone as in dead? How do you know? What about Minuit? Are you sure she’s not hiding out in her bookstore? Have you checked? Was I the last person to ever see her? _

“What?” Was all she could muster out through the flurry of questions that ravaged her mind. She caught her partner’s eye from across the aisle and couldn’t bring herself to look away.

“I stopped by Time’s End after work because we had some leftover pastries and I thought it might cheer her up, since I know she’s been writing a lot lately and you… well, you know.” Timmy began. “But it was closed-”

“She tends to close early around the holidays.”

“That’s what I thought, so I went and made the drive over to you guys’ home and… Bow, you’re not in town, right?”

_ “Cut to the chase.  _ You’re scaring me.”

“The house is gone.”

The line crackled. Bow sighed. “You’re not funny, you prick. I thought something  _ serious  _ happened.”

Bow waited for something typical of Timmy from the other line; for him to crack a bad joke or burst into his typical nefarious laughter, but there was nothing but the sound of the winter wind howling in the background.

“There’s nothing there. Just snow.”

He was serious. Serious and calm- all too calm and out of character for Bow, making her paranoid and nervous as the dread that had previously made its way to her throat settled deep in the pit of her heart, the hair at the back of her neck standing at end.

“I’m coming home,”

“What? But-”

“Timmy, if you think I’m going to sit around and not be worried after what you’ve just told me, you’re insane,” She said, finally managing to tear her eyes away from her partner as she approached. “I’ll pack my bags and I’ll get train tickets for tonight. Where are you now?”

“I’m still at your- well, what  _ was  _ a house,”

“Okay. Can you come pick me up from the train station?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Okay,” Bow sighed. “I’ll call you later. Bye,”

“Bow,”

“Yeah?”

“Stay safe.”

“You too,” She said with a sigh, listening to the dead line on the phone as she hung her head. She was quiet as she settled on buying cashmere, quiet as she and her partner paid for their goods, quiet as she stepped outside into the bitter snow that froze her fingers and quiet as they drove over the oddly-even road. Her partner-  _ thankfully-  _ didn’t ask, only rubbing the back of her hand comfortingly with her thumb, reassuring her that it was okay for her to leave and that she understood. The snow that fluttered lightly down from the sky felt less like a blessing and more like a warning.

The last bit of calm before a violent storm.

Timmy and Bow had grown up together. They had met towards the end of middle school and had clicked in a way Bow had never clicked with anyone else (not even Kid). Everybody had expected them to be  _ something  _ by the end of highschool- Bow’s parents considered her bisexuality to be something Timmy would eventually cure her of and Timmy’s guardians considered Bow to perfectly fit the girl-next-door archetype that would eventually tame him- but unspoken rules Bow had always secretly been thankful for had prevented them from ever crossing that line. Their friendship had a dynamic that Bow had always cherished-  _ you talk and I listen-  _ and too many times had they poured their hearts out to each other, mourning the loss of siblings and youth or their shared fears of growing up underneath a starry night sky.

Sitting in the passenger seat of Timmy’s car, Bow realized that maybe that was why it was so easy to calm down around him. Maybe that was why his messy car that reeked of artificial new car smell and blasted decade-old hits felt like a second home to her.

“Did you find out anything?” Bow asked after a good few minutes of silence. The bumpy, uneven road they drove on and the rumbling of the old car was oddly comforting to her. Another thing that helped soothe her nerves and helped make the oddness of this situation seem a little more…  _ normal. _

“No.” Timmy looked over to her, his face backlit by the warm, golden glow of the streetlamps they drove by. “I… went down to the station. Filed a report,”

“Yeah?”

“They said there was no legal record of the house ever existing,”

“What?”

“I know, right?”

“So, what’re they saying? That she and the house just… took off into the stars?”

He let out a dry, forced chuckle- one that reeked of bitterness and uncertainty- gripping the steering wheel tighter than needed. “I  _ guess.” _

“That doesn’t make any sense,”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

In the silence of their drive as they drove away from the train station, Bow found herself drifting off into some sort of paranoid daydream, worrying herself over what happened to Kid. Nothing exciting ever happened in small towns- people disappearing included- but there were only so many other places she could be.

What if she  _ was  _ gone for good? Abandoned by a frozen lake or on the side of a road somewhere, hidden by a blanket of snow that wouldn’t melt away for ages with nothing but a blue finger poking out from underneath giving away her presence. What was the last thing she had seen?

It was a thought Bow was quickly to abandon, putting it away nice and neatly in the back of her mind where it belonged. It scared her, yes- anyone would be horrified by intrusive images of their dead friend- but more than that, Bow knew it was  _ impossible.  _ Kid was stronger than that. She didn’t seem like much at first glance, sure, but looks were deceiving and Kid was a prime example of that. She was fast and strong enough to pick up and throw Timmy with ease, nevermind how strong she was  _ mentally.  _ She was too smart and too perseverant to be shot down with ease, and although Bow knew a part of this mindset was simply because the thought of Kid being hurt scared her to no end, it was better to believe that than to believe she was dead and gone.

If only there had been a witness to testify and confirm what had happened. It had always been a shame she and Kid lived on the outskirts of their hometown, far from everything and close to nothing but the shambles of dilapidated homes dating back to the Victorian era, but even more so now knowing that their home had simply… disappeared, and that there was nobody that could prove it had ever been there in the first place.

Truth be told, though, Bow wasn’t sure if she totally believed Timmy with that claim. But the way he focused on the road with a stony gaze and gripped on the steering wheel made Bow uncertain if she was right not to. Unsure of what to say- if there was anything else to say at all- Bow rested her head against the window and looked outside.

Snow fell outside. It wasn’t as light as it had been before but it wasn’t as violent as it would become later that evening. It was a pretty thing, white and fluffy and nearly ethereal. It never seemed as if it were something of this world, magical in the way it coated everything in a blanket of white and made neighbourhoods grow sleepy and slow.

It had that effect on Bow as well, helping steady her and calm her down. She tried to focus on the snow and how every snowflake was unique and different from the rest. As the car slowed to a stop, her gaze shifted from the snow before her to the familiar building behind it.

Time’s End bookstore was a large brick building that was likely as old as the town itself. It had gone through many changes throughout the years, originally being built as a home before eventually being turned into a hotel, then a restaurant, then a retail store before finally being bought out by Kid at a suspiciously cheap price and being turned into a bookstore-slash library. Truth be told, it was rather ugly, the prettiest thing about it being the golden sign above the entrance that boasted its name, coated in snow and shimmering from the hazy glow of the streetlamps. It made Bow’s heart pang now-  _ who would man it if Kid really  _ was  _ gone?-  _ as she admired the building from the car. The holiday sale poster was still up on the window of the front door- fancy and eye-catching, something Bow was proud to say she was involved with creating- but the lights inside were off, forbidding anyone from peering inside.

She made a mental note to grab the spare key from the back entrance in the morning.

Brushing out her skirt as they began to drive again, Bow spoke up. “Are you  _ sure  _ she’s not in Time’s End? Maybe she’s in her office, or-”

“Bow, the lights are off. She’s not sitting around in the dark.”

Bow knew he was right, but as the road they drove on changed from uneven cement to muddy snow and the streetlamps that illuminated the sides of the road grew more and more sparse before disappearing entirely, she found herself desperate for something to connect the dots, something more than her best friend simply  _ disappearing, _ no matter what that was or how little of it was based in reality.

So when they made the final turn and pulled up to where her house had once been, being met with a snowy clearing underneath the dark sky felt like a punch in the stomach. One that left Bow stumbling out of the car and gasping for air.

Her home was  _ gone.  _ Not demolished or destroyed but  _ gone,  _ just like that, snow collecting on the empty lot as if it had never been there in the first place.

The wind had picked up- the storm was closer than ever now- making the tears that had begun to prick at the corners of her eyes burn hot against her cold skin. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping,  _ praying  _ that what she was experiencing was simply a lucid dream that had gone on for far too long and had become far too real. It didn’t make sense to her at  _ all-  _ how could a house just  _ disappear?-  _ and suddenly, the world felt as if it had begun crumbling down around her, crashing hard and fast and taking everything she knew with her.

More than anything, she struggled to wrap her head around how Kid had done the same, disappearing off the face of the planet without a moment’s notice.

Bow opened her eyes only when she felt Timmy wrap an arm around her, warm and comforting the way he had always been, a steady rock against violent waves. Nothing had changed and she fumbled with her phone, dialing Kid’s number one final time.

Sbe was met with the same voicemail message she had heard for the last few years, perfectly punctuated with her sweet voice and gentle tone. It was only after the voicemail tone had fallen silent did panic start to truly settle, making itself comfortable next to the dread that had only grown within her. 

“The house, Minuit, Kid- they were just here. I don’t understand,” She looked over to Timmy. “This stuff just doesn’t  _ happen.  _ Not in places like this,”

In the darkness, Bow could barely make out Timmy’s features, but what she did see made her heart ache for Kid. He had always looked oddly like her- the same almond eyes, spindly legs and button nose- and now it hit a little too hard. For a moment, he looked all too much like Kid and nothing like Timmy and so she looked away, holding herself. 

“It doesn’t make  _ sense,” _

“I know.”

The reality of the situation hit hard, sinking its teeth into Bow like a predator with its prey quickly, all at once so that the pain couldn’t be noticed until it was too late.

Their home- and everything inside- was gone. Minuit was gone.  _ Kid  _ was gone.

And outside of photos, memories, and the bookstore that was her pride and joy, there was no proof she had ever been there in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so, so sorry for the incredibly long wait that this chapter had! I had the original version of this chapter completed and written down in December, but despite my many rewrites, I wasn't satisfied with the end result. January and most of February flew right by and with some additional outside problems like mental health (and, as I write this author's note, physical illness, yay), I honestly wasn't able to bring myself to work on this.
> 
> But she made it and I think I can say I'm satisfied with my work for the first time in a long while.
> 
> I want to say that I'll be resuming a regular update schedule, but I don't feel comfortable making promises right now.
> 
> As always, thank you so much for reading! Comments help keep me motivated and are always appreciated, no matter how big or small. :)
> 
> Bonus: Chapter 4: TL;DR


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